I'm sure everyone has heard this before - but it happened to me for the first time a few nights ago.

I'm from Australia so our bills are not paper, however I was actually performing at a friend's house who is from the US. His little sister was having a party and I was asked to perform this trick. My friend handed me one of his American dollar bills and I did the trick (even though I hadn't practiced with a US bill before only an Australia one - naughty me) the reactions were great. But my friend's reaction topped the audiences when I handed the bill and pen to the twelve year old girl next to me. She looked at the pen and then the bill and then slammed the pen through the bill! She ripped it down the side exactly like I did, except it couldn't be restored.

OOPS!

My friend, his family and myself were horrified but boy did we have a laugh hehe. Has this happened to anyone else? I'm sure it has.

Well that's my funny story,

Mike

Never let a kid do a magician's job. By the way, when she couldn't do it did she cry?

Here's a little story for you. I was doing a show in a library and was told the kids would be about 5-7 even 13 years old. When I got there they were all 1,2 or 3 years old. I wasn't going to do it at all but went against my better judgement and did it anyways. It didn't go to well since they were so young. The worst part was near the end of my routine. I did a linking rings routine and when I handed the rings to a volunteer and told here to do what I did. I unlinked the rings and when she couldn't, she started crying and saying mommy. I just stood there until the mom came and got her. That was officially the worst show I ever did.

That has happened to me before. I had a little boy, I think he had a bit of a problem, and I did the very simple cups and balls with just 2 cups, 3 balls, penetrating each other, didn't want to make it too hard to follow, and then this kid came up and tried to do this trick, he pushed and he push but no matter what the ball wouldn't go through the cup. He got so mad he pushed over my table and ran away in a temper tamtrum. Last time I ever give out props to kids for inspection.

The problem comes in when they turn to you and expect to restore the damage that the little girl had done, and of course if you were really magic, then you could do just that.

And they will say something like, "Can't you use magic to fix it again?" What do you say? How do you squirm out of it?

With the bill, you have a really good setup for a bill switch.

With the linking rings, you have the little one hold the ring and you link yours onto hers, complimenting her on how magical she is.

Just some "outs" for these situatiuons.

Lee Darrow, C.Ht.
http://www.leedarrow.com